Religious ethnocentrism—the belief, often strongly held, that one’s own religion is the only true religion or is a superior religion—is a barrier to understanding the concept of religion as it applies to all of humanity. As we learn to accept our own cultural beliefs and values, we unconsciously learn to reject those of other people. This means, unfortunately, that humans from different religious traditions may find themselves in conflict with one another. The Dalai Lama, in his book Ethics for the New Millennium, writes:
“It is a sad fact of human history that religion has been a major source of conflict. Even today, individuals are killed, communities destroyed, and societies destabilized as a result of religious bigotry and hatred.”
One example of religious ethnocentrism is seen in the insistence by some Christians that all people, including non-Christians, must accept the Christian creation story as the only valid creation story. The need for history to conform to the Christian creation story can be seen in the European conquest of the Americas. American Indian stories of creation were simply regarded as superstition and dismissed or banned.
Religious ethnocentrism is often born in ignorance: ignorance of the world’s religious diversity as well as ignorance of a person’s own religious traditions, teachings, and history. Guy Harrison, in his book 50 Popular Beliefs that People Think are True, writes:
“Ignorance is the greatest reason so many people are able to confidently declare that their religion is true while all others fall short. What could be easier than to feel superior about your belief system when you know little or nothing about all other belief systems?”
Religious ethnocentrism can also manifest itself as religious imperialism in which one particular religious tradition is considered supreme and all others are declared illegal. This has been seen in the United States with the suppression of American Indian religions and the requirement that American Indians become Christian. In 1870, the Peace Policy of President Ulysses Grant’s Peace Policy gave the administration of Indian reservations to Christian denominations which were to have a monopoly on proselytization. Under American policy at this time, the efforts to “civilize” the Indians required them to become Christian. Therefore conversion, by force if necessary, was an important part of American policy. Following the recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, missionaries, and other influential “friends of the Indian,” the United States formally outlawed “pagan” ceremonies in 1884. Indians who were found guilty of participating in traditional religious ceremonies were to be imprisoned for 30 days.
Another example of religious imperialism, is the insistence by some Christians that American students must be taught creationism as an alternative to evolution. Guy Harrison writes:
“Creationism is most often defined as the religious belief that the Judeo-Christian god created the universe, Earth, and all life as described in the Genesis story.”
Religious imperialism can also be seen in the history of Ireland in which Catholicism was repressed. Beginning in the late seventeenth century, the government passed a series of anti-Catholic laws known as the Penal Laws. The first of these was passed in 1695. This was followed in 1697 by the Bishops’ Banishment Act, and in 1704 by the Act to Prevent the Further Growth of Popery. The Penal Laws were designed to force Catholics to the lowest socioeconomic status. For example, under the Penal Laws, Catholics were not allowed to own a horse worth more than five pounds. Furthermore, any Catholic who was offered five pounds for a horse was required to sell it. Catholics were also prohibited from possessing arms.
Religious ethnocentrism has often been the source of wars, genocides, murders, and massacres. Anthropologist Michael Angrosino, in his book The Culture of the Sacred, reminds us:
“…we should not be surprised at the lesson of history: conflicts rooted in religious or other ideologies are often more intractable and passionately fought than those resulting simply from economic or political rivalries.”
Examples of this range from the Christian Crusades against Islam, to the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, to the suppression of Native American religious movements in the United States (such as that which resulted in the massacre at Wounded Knee).
Welcome to Street Prophets Saturday. This is an open thread in which all discussions of politics, religion, pets, food, weather, art, and daily life are welcomed.
Some of the material in the initial essay was taken from my forthcoming book which deals in part with the origins of religion.